Toyota plans to use your commute to map routes for its driverless cars

Toyota
Toyota is turning to its customers to help with its driverless car effort.

The automaker will draw information from customers' camera-equipped vehicles to gather road images and vehicle positional information, according to a press release. Toyota will take that information and process it through its entirely new software system.

All of the data will then be sent to Toyota data centers, where it will be used to create high-precision maps.

Many companies have turned to mapping routes to aid in their driverless car efforts. Mapping routes is intended to keep roads with driverless cars safer as the vehicles can combine these precise, digital maps with real-time data of their surroundings to avoid accidents.

"An understanding of road layouts and traffic rules (including speed limits and various road signs) is essential for the successful implementation of automated driving technologies," Toyota wrote in its press release. "Additionally, high precision measurement of positional information requires the collection of information on dividing lines, curbs, and other road characteristics."

Audi, Daimler, and BMW acquired Here, the former mapping division of Nokia, to make real-time maps to aid their driverless car efforts and Google is also mapping its own routes.

But what sets Toyota apart is that it's the only company drawing the data from actual customers.

Toyota used to collect its data using vehicles equipped with three-dimensional laser scanners, according to the press release, but the data collection was taking too long and becoming too costly.

"Due to the infrequent nature of data collection, maps generated in this manner are seldom updated, limiting their usefulness," the press release reads.

Toyota's new system will create high precision maps using Toyota's new software and information gathered by existing vehicles. Although the routes captured by 3D laser technology are more accurate, Toyota said in the press release that having more people on the road mapping the same routes repeatedly will keep the margin of error to a maximum of two inches on a straight road.

The automaker, which plans to release its driverless technology by 2020, will also seek to collaborate with mapmakers.

Toyota will display the new software system at the Consumer Electronics Show, which runs January 6-9.